Cornelius John Jaenen

Educator, historian.

Born at Cannington Manor, Saskatchewan in 1927, he received his education at a one-roomed country school at Antler, Saskatchewan, Brunkild School, and St. Paul’s College and taught briefly at Glenmoor School (1944). He went to the University of Manitoba for his Honours BA (1947), MA (1950) and eventually BEd (1958) degree. The University of Bordeaux in France awarded him a Diplome de Fin d’Etudes (1948) and the University of Ottawa a doctorate for work in early Canadian history (1963).

He taught at Andrew Mynarski School (1956-1958) and other Winnipeg schools for seven years, spent three years in Ethiopia, and taught one year at Memorial University of Newfoundland before coming to United College (now the University of Winnipeg) in 1959 where he spent eight years as a faculty member of the History Department and the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba. During his residence in Winnipeg, he was a member of the Manitoba Historical Society and served on the executive council as chairman of the program committee, and as Second Vice-President (1965-1966) and First Vice-President (1966-1967).

By 1975, he was a Full Professor of History at the University of Ottawa. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg (1981).